C/2011W3 (Lovejoy)

Comet C/2011W3 (Lovejoy) was discovered by
Terry Lovejoy, an Australian amateur comet hunter, on
2011 December 2. It was classified as a periodic comet of the Kreutz sungrazer
group which are fragments of a single giant cometthat broke apart,believed
to be the Great Comet of 1106. Kreutz
sungrazers are typically small (~10 meters wide) and numerous
- The Solar and Heliospheric Observatory (SOHO)
sees one approaching the Sun
and destroyed every few days. A
similar fate was expected of Comet Lovejoy as it passed just 140,000km above
the "surface" of the Sun on 2011 December 15-16 and magnificent views of the
event were provided by the SOHO craft (SOHO observations are
here).
Against all expectations the comet survived solar perihelion putting on a
beautiful Christmas show for southern hemisphere astronomers from 22nd December
to early January 2012 as it moved away from the Sun into the morning skies. Best
views were had just before Christmas when it was bright and sported a tail of
around 20°,
before fading rapidly as 2011 drew to a close.

Imaged on the
morning of 2011December 24 with the comet's
head in the tail of Scorpius;
4x30sec exposures
stacked, ISO400, using a Canon 450DH
camera and 70-200mm f/2.8 zoom lens working at 70mm f/3.5 on a Synta NEQ-6
mount tracking the stars; field of view 18° x 12° approx, N to the left.Note the subtle structures in the tail.

Imaged on the
morning of 2011December 28 with the
comet's head against the stars
of Ara; 11x40sec exposures
stacked, ISO640, using a Canon 40D
camera and 14mm f/2.8 lens working at f/2.8 on a fixed tripod; field of view
80° x 50° approx, N to the left. The Southern Cross is at the top and
"The Pointers" below. The comet is against the Milky Way sky background of
Ara with the dust tail extending upwards past "The Pointers", the bright
knot in the tail is the open cluster NGC8087 in Norma.